Keep holiday gatherings small and fully vaccinated this year, B.C. health officials ask

Vancouver -

For the second year in a row, British Columbians are being asked to keep holiday celebrations small to avoid another surge in COVID-19 cases.

But unlike the 2020 holiday season, when residents were told to stick to their immediate households, the government has not announced any public health orders that would limit festivities across the province.

Instead, Dr. Bonnie Henry has urged residents to voluntarily work together throughout the "peak risk period" of the year in order to keep COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations at a manageable level.

"You can spend time with your loved ones – and indeed you must spend time, we need to have that time together – but have a smaller gathering this year … rather than the full, big family reunion," Henry said at a news conference Tuesday. "And make sure everyone is vaccinated."

While Henry did not offer a specific number of recommended guests for gatherings, she suggested "one or two" outside family members or families would be fine.

B.C. struggled to control COVID-19 transmission for much of the late summer and early fall, but case numbers have been gradually declining in recent weeks.

During a modelling presentation last Thursday, Henry confirmed the province's reproductive number has dropped to at or below one in every region, meaning each new infection is spreading to an average of one additional person at most.

But that progress is fragile, Henry cautioned, particularly now that the Delta variant dominates in Canada. Apart from being more contagious, the strain has been found to sometimes cause more severe illness in younger age groups.

And while the province has achieved a high vaccination rate, with 90 per cent of eligible residents having received at least one dose,

data has indicated antibody protection is waning in some vulnerable groups, prompting the government to recently begin offering booster doses.

Henry said the public can help keep the holiday season safe by following many of the same guidelines they have throughout the pandemic, such as wearing masks and washing their hands.

"If we're not continuing to do the things we know work, we can see cases inching up, outbreaks increasing and hospitalizations increasing," Henry said. "This pandemic is still very much here."

Henry said limiting holiday gatherings to people who are fully vaccinated is particularly important if there will be older or immunocompromised guests, including those undergoing cancer treatment, in attendance.

"If they're joining you, you need to do more to protect them, and that means making sure that everybody who can (get vaccinated) is vaccinated," Henry said.

For people who want to gather in greater numbers, Henry recommended planning an outdoor activity.

"We know that indoors is more risky than outdoors," Henry said. "Go sledding or snowshoeing or hiking. We have many wonderful things that we can do outdoors safely even in the winter months."

The province's travel restrictions have also been lifted, but the government urged anyone planning to visit another community to do so safely. That means bringing a B.C. vaccine card and wearing a mask while inside stores and other public areas.

"We need you to be a respectful traveller," Henry said. "We need to continue to be aware of the impact we are having on communities we're going to and the risk we're bringing with us – and, of course, the risk we're bringing home."